Category Archives:

Mobile Operators

Here at GoMo Towers, we always have been ready to entertain any theories as to what actually happened to lost Malaysian Airlines flight MH370. Now it seems that what looks very definitely part of a Boeing aircraft has washed up on the French held island of La Reunion in the Indian Ocean. Which is something like 3,000 miles away from where the Australians have been searching for the missing plane. However, the item of wreckage is reportedly covered in barnacles which is consistent with it being in the water for a significant period of time. Look at the maps of sea currents which other news stories have featured and it is easy to see that the aircraft part could easily have drifted from Diego Garcia – the island which is part of the British Indian Ocean territory. But used as an airbase by the USA. Why has the USA so consistently pooh-poohed [discredited] the reports that an aircraft was spotted flying low over the island and could have been the missing flight? Continue reading →

Quite frankly a one million pound fine (£1 m) handed out to a player in the UK’s mobile telecoms business is nothing short of extraordinary. But that’s what’s just happened to leading UK MNO [Mobile Network Operator], EE, which has been on the wrong end of UK telecoms watchdog, Ofcom‘s, wrath. The fine was for failing to comply with Ofcom’s rules on handling customer complaints. Regular GoMo News readers will remember that we’ve been on the wrong end of EE’s customer relations more than once. See ‘EE says today is in 65 days time’. It also raises the question of whether UK entrenched telecoms operator, BT, is buying the right UK MNO. Especially given that EE’s High Street presence is allegedly what BT picked EE and not O2. Ofcom’s consumer & content group director, Claudio Pollack, wasn’t too please. He commented, “It’s vital that customers can access all the information they need when they’re pursuing a complaint.” Continue reading →

July 3rd 2015. Ofcom has fined EE £1,000,000 for failing to comply with Ofcom’s rules on handling customer complaints. The investigation into EE (trading as 4GEE, Orange and T-Mobile) is part of Ofcom’s wider monitoring and enforcement programme to ensure communications providers are dealing with customer complaints appropriately and fairly. Ofcom’s investigation found that, over the period investigated – from 22nd July 2011 to 8th April 2014 – EE did not provide certain customers with accurate or adequate information about their right to take their complaint to an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme. Continue reading →

It seems that data roaming charges will be abolished within the European Union [EU] by June 2017, according yesterday’s [June 30th 2015] announcement from EU regulators. Not everyone is convinced that the end is definite. uSwitch.comtelecoms expert, Ernest Doku, commented, “It’s early days and, like the debates over scrapping EU roaming charges, these good intentions could still unravel.” Mark Windle, head of marketing with OpenCloud warned that MNOs [Mobile Network Operators] need to innovate in order to combat their squeezed revue streams. Meanwhile David Walker, a vp with Tangoe, warned, “Companies will find that true bill shock comes from data usage not phone calls in the future.” Continue reading →

T-Mobile USA (the US based MNO [Mobile Network Operator]) is to launch on June 28th [2015] ‘Jump on Demand’ – an enhanced frequent-upgrade programme which builds upon its existing Jump offering by letting customers upgrade their smartphones as much as three times a year. Jump on Demand, unlike the original Jump programme does not require a $10 monthly membership fee. Plus customers don’t have to pay off half a device’s cost prior to upgrading. Furthermore, it also does not include device protection. “Jump on Demand is T-Mobile’s way of getting into the device-leasing business while simultaneously satisfying customers who desire easier, more frequent smartphone upgrades,” commented Tammy Parker, a senior analyst with Current Analysis. Continue reading →

The leading UK national newspaper, the Mail on Sunday, has called for more protection for consumers over ‘bill shock’. This follows a complaint from a British woman, Laura Harris, over a £2,000 ($3,100) bill she managed to run up with local MNO[Mobile Network Operator], Vodafone. The worrying thing is that she managed this feat mostly by linking her Apple iPhone to a Microsoft Exchange email server. She discovered the cause by contacting a specialist firm, Forensic Mobile Services, which claimed that “Exchange email services have known technical issues that can result in high data usage when used on Apple devices.” Known by whom, GoMo News would like to know? Anyway, Ms Harris and the Daily Mail (here) have subsequently called for UK MNOs to bring security and protection in line with banks [financial institutions]. Continue reading →

As UK incumbent Telco – BT (formerly British Telecommunications) moves closer to offering a four-play package to Brit consumers, GoMo News uncovers definite proof that the company is trying to buy the wrong MNO [Mobile Network Operator]. Regular GoMo News readers will know that we have always maintained that BT should buy the O2 network back. One of the reasons why BT finally picked EE not O2 was because EE has the numerically higher High Street presence. Unfortunately, EE has just been awarded the gong of being the UK’s worst High Street retailer in terms of customer satisfaction. That’s not just the worse out of all the mobile phone chains but the worse retailer period. Luckily, BT is still going through the typical Brit ant-trust procedures. So, theoretically, it still has time to pull out. Continue reading →

Relations between GoMo News and UK MNO [Mobile Network Operator] EE appear to have dropped to an all-time low. One of the company’s retail stores in Poole, Dorset sold us the completely wrong product. And then refused a refund when we pointed out the item was not “fit for purpose.” This episode has also revealed that EE has plans to discontinue support for Orange as a separate network after December 2015. So retailers better get rid of their Orange branded stock before that date. Continue reading →

It seems that UK MNO [Mobile Network Operator], EE, has massively underestimated demand for one of its customer loyalty programmes – the Power Bar. The company says, “The response to Power Bars has been incredible. We received a million requests in just four days, and want to make sure these requests are fulfilled while we await the next Power Bar delivery. Text us from 8am on 24th June [2015] to get your code.” Which is all well and good, of course. Except that the company has failed to remove its promotional material. Hence, GoMo News spent at least 30 minutes in a queue [line] today [May 26th 2015] looking straight at the customer desk in the company’s Poole, Dorset branch. And there it was in black and white – “get your Power Bar today.” Yet, EE has know since last month [April 20th 2015] that it doesn’t have enough stock to meet demand. Continue reading →

January 7th 2015. 360 operators have commercially launched LTE networks and service in 124 countries, according to data released by GSA (Global mobile Suppliers Association) in the latest update of the Evolution to LTE report. 96 LTE networks were launched in 2014. The most widely used spectrum for LTE network deployments continues to be 1800 MHz (3GPP band 3). 158 LTE1800 networks are commercially launched in 76 countries. 1800 MHz is used in almost 44 per cent of LTE network deployments and also has the largest user devices ecosystem. Over 42 per cent of LTE user terminals can operate in the 1800 MHz band. Continue reading →

Once again here at GoMo Towers we have been contacted by some-one with a keen interest in all of the conspiracy theories surrounding the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370. This time it is the turn of an avid flyer and blogger – Barrie Taylor who lives in South Africa. Barrie left GoMo News a comment about our story concerning the alleged pressure group – Voice 370 (see here). Now Mr Taylor’s arguments make a great deal of sense to us but he also argues that there isn’t any actual evidence concerning where the plane might have crashed. We think the opposite. Call records held by mobile phone operators could help pinpoint the final flight path of this tragic airliner. If only friends or relatives of the passengers/crew would contact us. Continue reading →

The was a report (here) in the UK newspaper, The Sunday Telegraph, that the British arm of Three – Three [3UK] (owned by Hutchison Whampoa) is having talks with the powers-that-be at Google HQ. The reason? Well, Three is taking pride is the fact that it is providing free roaming to its existing subscribers in 18 geographies where it has a presence of its own. (See ‘3 adds 2 new destinations to freebie roaming list‘). Meanwhile, Google has an announced intention to provide its users with a low cost network which would cost the same everywhere – in an attempt to shake up the US cellular market. Hence the assumption is that Google is toying with the idea of becoming a Three MVNO [Mobile Virtual Network Operator]. Continue reading →

Whilst visiting our local EE retail store, GoMo News happened to spot a leaflet designed to promote the Brit MNO’s [Mobile Network Operator's] own label mobile Wi-fi hotspot device called simply the Buzzard 2 aka Car Wifi. From the text and the advert illustrations, it is clear that the Brit 4G MNO is intending to target families with this device. The typical Buzzard 2 customer would therefore be a parent who wishes to keep his/her children quiet in the back of a car. By providing a mobile Wi-fi connexion, young people can then entertain themselves on a long journey by keeping up with social media, emails and the like. However, taking up this offering is about as clear as mud to the average person. Plus it is aimed at the wrong audience. Continue reading →

This one is for consumers
New iPhone app based on same powerful engine used in GWS’s enterprise product
Consumer app features streamlined interface for network testing

MARCH 24th 2015. Global Wireless Solutions (GWS), the world’s leading independent mobile network testing and analysis company, has released an iOS version [Apple iPhone] of its enterprise benchmarking app for consumers. The enterprise version of GWS’s app (currently only available on Android devices) is the most configurable diagnostic app on the market and was designed to allow RF engineers and other wireless experts to measure real-time engineering level data. Continue reading →